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🌱 Patch AM: Could Vermont’s new appeals plan finally speed up South Burlington housing?

And check out HUGE Designer Floor Sample Event! on the Burlington Patch calendar

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Tuesday December 30th Patch AM
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Cheers Burlington! We’re back, helping you stay up to date with what’s happening. Let's take on the day together! ☕️️

In today's newsletter:

  • Could Vermont’s new appeals plan finally speed up South Burlington housing?
  • Why a Colombian fern now carries the name of a Burlington volunteer
  • How a Burlington youth clinic ended up paying $200,000

Also on today's calendar: HUGE Designer Floor Sample Event! and 4 more events.

Find out what's happening in Burlingtonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Today's riddle: The world champion tongue twister just got arrested! 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

Find out what's happening in Burlingtonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

  • Tuesday: Snow and flurries, with a high of 13 and low of 5 degrees. ⛄️ Brr!
  • Wednesday: Not as cold with snow showers, temps: high: 20, low: 7.
  • Thursday: Cold with a little snow, with a high of 16 and low of 1 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. To hasten housing permits, lawmakers consider moving appeals out of a courtroom (vtdigger.org) — State lawmakers are weighing big changes to how development appeals are handled after a South Burlington housing project near Wheeler Nature Park was delayed for years by court challenges. With a Burlington attorney and local advocates deeply involved, the debate centers on whether to move Act 250 appeals from environmental court to the new Land Use Review Board to speed up badly needed housing construction statewide.
   

2. UVM scientists name newly discovered fern after longtime volunteer (wbur.org) — A longtime University of Vermont volunteer in Burlington just received a rare honor: botanists named a newly discovered Christmas fern species after 95-year-old herbarium helper Hilda White. Her decades of quietly mounting plant specimens at UVM’s Pringle Herbarium inspired researchers to christen the Colombian fern Polystichum hildae as a birthday surprise.
   

3. Burlington mental health clinic settles fraud allegations with state (mychamplainvalley.com) — A Burlington mental health nonprofit that runs the Eden Valley clinic will pay Vermont $200,000 after state investigators found it submitted more than 250 false Medicaid claims. Officials say some sessions were overbilled or poorly documented, and the group allegedly provided falsified records during the probe. Half the settlement is due within 30 days, with the rest due within a year.
   

4. Flu season ramps up in Vermont as neighboring states see spike (wcax.com) — Burlington’s UVM Medical Center is bracing for a likely flu surge as neighboring states see cases “blasting off” and Vermont’s vaccination rate lags. Local infectious disease experts say hospitals are busy but manageable, and the state health commissioner urges residents to get flu shots, warning this year’s strain appears more virulent than usual.
   

5. UVM men's hockey falls to Merrimack (wcax.com) — UVM men’s hockey came up just short in Burlington, falling 5–4 to Merrimack after nearly erasing a 5–2 deficit. Freshman standout Matteo Michels sparked the late push with two goals and an assist, while coach Steve Wielder praised the on-ice effort but stressed the need to tighten defensive details.
   

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • At 9:19 AM EST, Massena [St. Lawrence Co, NY] Public reports Freezing Rain of Inch #nywx... (X: iembot_btv)
  • Snowplow hits pole in Burlington, leaving residents without power #btv #vt... (X: wcax)
  • K.A. Recruiting, Inc. posted a job opening for Sterile Processing Supervisor - Certification Required in Burlington. Apply here.
  • Towne Park Ltd. posted a job opening for Cashier ($14.01-$16) University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Burlington here.

Ok Burlington! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I hear they’re giving him a really tough sentence.
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